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Why I’m in love with legumes, part 1 of 4

Matthew: I just read your article on protein. I had to look up what a legume is. Dumb it down a little! Is there a lot of protein in peas?

Me: Yes, in split peas, there is.

Matthew: Is that different from regular peas?

Me: Yeah, split peas are HARD and you cook them. Haven’t you had split pea soup? Your mom was a health nut! Regular peas are squishier. They are green vegetables in a pod.

Matthew: I love split pea soup! I don’t know what split peas are. You have to write to Americans who can identify everything on McDonald’s Dollar Menu but they could not say what a legume is.

This is a consistent theme of Matthew’s, reminding me to dumb it down a level. This is why I don’t like to teach you how to make, for example, tinctures of medicinal mushrooms, a major topic of my friend David Wolfe at his Longevity Conference.

(Oh, and also I don’t like to because I don’t have a clue HOW, and learning how is not on my bucket list.)

This is why I don’t like to get sucked down rabbit holes of controversies like whether vegetarianism is for everyone. (Lots of plants IS for everyone. Whether you eat clean, organic meat is a personal preference, and your dental health may be served by that.)

Most people don’t want to read those fringey debates. They want practical help getting out of the trap. The S.A.D. trap.

I mostly like to talk about how regular people can make shifts to eating more whole, unadulterated foods. Plants in their natural state that make us feel great, maintain ideal weight, and minimize disease risk. That’s the zone I like to stay in.

To that end, Matthew says to write an article about TEN TYPES OF LEGUMES. I’m on it. Look for that in my next post. And while we’re talking about, I’ll share my split pea soup recipe, which is an example of the cheap and easy ways to raise a family on whole foods.

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About Robyn

Robyn Openshaw is the author or editor of 14 titles, including the bestselling book The Green Smoothies Diet, the children's book, The Adventures of Junk Food Dude, and the course 12 Steps to Whole Foods. She’s passionate about overthrowing the Standard American Diet by teaching people to eat more whole foods easily, inexpensively, and deliciously. She’s the mom of 4 competitive athletes as well as a runner, cyclist, skier, and competitive tennis player. She travels all over the world speaking to sold-out audiences and studying non-toxic cancer treatment for her next project.

Robyn, why does meat help dental health? Have you written an article already explaining this that you can point me towards or can you tell me why clean meat can help dental health? Thanks! Love your blog…you are great!

Hi Carrie, the Weston A. Price Foundation is the place to learn about that. Dr. Price studied indigenous peoples across the globe who have no degenerative disease and they were all meat eaters. Clean meat. I don’t pin absolutely everything on the China Study and a plant based diet; I allow for the fact that bone broth, and organic or free range or wild-caught meat/poultry/fish may have value as a minor part of the diet.

My hubby loves split pea soup, so I learned how to make it years ago! So yummy and filling. AND now that I have begun my sourdough bread adventure, we have something to sop up the bowl with. Looking forward to your followup re: the legumes, aka beans

A little off the subject but 2 quick questions… first, I “liked” your GSG page on FB a long time ago and then today I also liked the HM Sauna page… Does it count that I already “Liked” your page? Also, I always buy my organic almonds raw, unpastureized from a farmer and because I buy them in bulk I freeze them. I have been freezing them after I sprout and dehydrate them.. is that the best way? Or is it better to freeze them and take as many as I am going to use for a month or so and after freezing then soak/sprout dehydrate?

I want to win the SAUNA!! I liked your fb page a long time ago and today added the sauna page! I hope my previous “like” on your page is considered. Also, question about almonds… I buy organic, unpasturized, raw straight from a farmer. I order in bulk for a a great price ($6.50 lb including tax and shipping!!) and then I soak overnight and dehydrate. I then put them in my deep freeze. My question is, should I freeze them before sprouting so that my sprouted nut is never frozen? Does it compromise the sprouted nut nutritional value to freeze?

Hi Robyn, I met you last Fall at a Legion hall in Toronto. I just turned 61, Chinese 6’2″ and rode tour du Canada last summer, you may not remember me. I got my Blendtec about 6 weeks ago and have been slurping and chewing my green smoothies. At first it was more than 50% fruit but now is about 70% greens. I’ve noticed some health benefits. I used to sprinkle* when I tinkled and thought I should ask my doctor about Flow Max, not anymore. It’s not exactly like a fire hose yet but getting there. After breakfast I would have a double flush “breaker” dump and then another one an hour later. I thought there is no way I had that much to eat and then realized it’s the kale cleaning out the nooks and crannies in my colon. A friend from church came over a few nights ago. She brought a dvd, “Forks over knives” which we watched together. I gave her a 10 oz. glass of green smoothie. My friend who is a RN told me there were immediate health benefits. She said her eyes used to hurt from contact lens use the next morning but no pain the next day and her facial skin was lot more smoother the next day as well. She didn’t want to spend what I spent ($468.00) on my Blendtec so she ordered a “NInja” online, think it was $99.00. Hope it works out for her.
* Saw this on facebook from a sign in a hospital washroom; If you sprinkle when you tinkle, pls. be neat and wipe the seat.

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